After a strong opening week, Aamir Khan’s latest film Sitaare Zameen Par continues its impressive run at the box office. On its eighth day (Friday), early industry estimates suggest the film collected approximately Rs 6.5 crore, pushing its total domestic earnings to Rs 94.4 crore. With this momentum, the film is expected to breach the Rs 100 crore milestone today, Saturday.
The film saw a gradual rise in occupancy throughout Friday. According to industry tracker Sacnilk, the all-India Hindi occupancy rate for the day stood at 18.43%, starting with a modest 7.07% in morning shows and peaking at 31.23% during night screenings.
Among cities, Chennai led the pack with a staggering 54.67% occupancy, followed by Bengaluru at 28.25%. However, traditionally strong markets like Mumbai (18.5%) and the National Capital Region (19%) showed relatively subdued turnout.
Language-wise, Sitaare Zameen Par recorded higher engagement in Tamil (26.05%), while the Telugu version closely matched the Hindi version with a 17.68% occupancy rate.
Internationally too, the film has made a substantial impact, earning Rs 140.38 crore worldwide in just one week. This puts it within striking distance of overtaking the lifetime global collections of Thugs of Hindostan (Rs 145.55 crore) and Kesari Chapter 2 (Rs 145.73 crore). It has already outperformed Sunny Deol’s Jaat, which ended its theatrical run with Rs 120.6 crore.
Even as the film faces competition from new releases like Brad Pitt’s F1: The Move and Kajol’s Maa, Aamir Khan remains confident in his film’s staying power. His commitment to the theatrical experience is clear – during promotional interviews, he confirmed turning down a lucrative Rs 120 crore streaming offer.
Khan also stated that he would not be releasing Sitaare Zameen Par on any OTT platform for at least a year. This move, he said, reflects his dedication to reviving the big-screen experience and ensuring longer theatrical runs for quality content.
With a growing box office tally and strong regional support, Sitaare Zameen Par appears poised to become one of Aamir Khan’s most successful recent outings. As it inches closer to the Rs 100 crore mark, all eyes will be on whether it can continue to defy market trends and cement its place among the year’s top grossers.